Does anyone know what it is?

Is it one of those things that drones in the background for "indian" type music?? I recorded one of those once but it didn't look like that....much older.

Yes, the far east have gone digital too:

http://www.sitarsetc.com/Electronic_instruments.htm thumbsup tutt

I've seen some pretty creative labelling on controls, but I think this is the first time I've ever seem a variable control labeled "Ladies" and "Gents". Hmm. What could this knob possibly be controlling?

DP

i was gonna say...

note to design teams..

all boxes will now feature knobs that say "Ladies;Gents"

It didn't seem to do anything. Everything is so politically correct these days!

Yes, there are ladies' and men's sizes of the Tanpura, the drone instrument.

I've always wanted one of those. I'm getting one now. Thanks for the link.

Weirdly, that place that sells them is 80 miles from Austin.

I recently recorded one of these boxes. Had the male/female button. It looked more like a car battery charger than a keyboard, though.

It had a tiny little speaker behind a series of vents in the side of the box.

It was providing background for a young woman who sang Indian classical music. In her style, the electronic tanpura is generally considered a practice tool, and I am sure if they had the budget they would have gotten a real tanpura player. CDs of the tanpura drone are also sold.

Rather than close mic it like a guitar amp or take it direct, we recorded it with room mics. That helped it sound less electronic.

these boxes are popular with the techno and trance crowd as well.